Endorsement: U.S. Senate - Donnelly

Richard Mourdock's comments regarding rape, God's will and abortion have clouded his campaign and race for a U.S. Senate seat.

Mourdock has tried to bring it all down to size by saying others misconstrued what he said during Tuesday's debate with Democrat Joe Donnelly and Libertarian Andrew Horning. Misunderstood or not, an awkward statement has pinned Mourdock. And Hoosiers will be reliving that moment right up to Election Day, thanks to a $1 million-plus ad campaign that hammers it home - again and again.

But the concerns about Mourdock were on the table long before he stumbled over the distinctions between his views on abortion and those of his opponents.

Mourdock, an engaging and thoughtful candidate up close, early in his campaign painted a troubling and strictly partisan picture of the way he'd approach the job in the Senate. Mourdock made clear in his run against Lugar, who had served 36 years and staked out a reputation as a statesman, that the sitting senator had become too willing to work with senators from the other side of the aisle. The result, Mourdock said, was a ballooning federal government. A harder line would do Washington, D.C., some good, he said.

We'd side with Lugar on this one, who warned Mourdock that getting things done means some reasonable negotiation some time.

Donnelly, who represents the 2nd District in the U.S. House, comes from better timber for this job. He's rightly been forced to draw distinctions between himself and the Obama White House, showing that he's willing to break ranks. And he has - to a certain point. Congressional Quarterly said Donnelly voted with Obama 76 percent of the time in 2010. The average for a House Democrat was 84 percent. As Democrats go, Donnelly is a conservative, Indiana version.

Donnelly already had established himself as strongest candidate in this race. The past few days, with another cringe-worthy statement by Mourdock, have only solidified it.

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Endorsement: U.S. Senate - Donnelly

Richard Mourdock's comments regarding rape, God's will and abortion have clouded his campaign and race for a U.S. Senate seat.